000
FGUS65 KSTR 171845
ESGUT
National Weather Service
Colorado Basin River Forecast Center
Salt Lake City, Utah
February 17, 2015
FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK
UTAH
Great Salt Lake, Sevier, Virgin and Price/San Rafael and Duchesne
River Basins.
The 2015 spring runoff flood potential due to snowmelt is not high at
this time for any of the basins listed above.
Current snow conditions in Utah are below normal and range from 60-80
percent of normal across most of the state. However, in the
Price/San Rafael River Basin snow conditions ranged from 70-100 percent
of normal and in the Virgin and Sevier River Basins snow conditions are
typically below 50 percent of normal. Dry and above average temperature
conditions throughout the state have resulted in well below normal
snowpack conditions.
It should be emphasized that snow accumulation conditions could change
significantly before seasonal runoff begins. While spring temperatures
affect the pattern of snowmelt runoff and, consequently, the magnitude of
peak flows, peak flows also approximately correspond to volumetric flows. It
is important to recognize that an extended period of much above average
temperatures or heavy rainfall during the melt period can cause or exacerbate
flooding problems in any year.
CBRFC/W.P. Miller, A.Nielson, T. Cox
NNNN
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